Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition

Coyote Creek Trail (Los Lagos Golf Course to Tully Road)

Bids were received in June 2008 and the City Council is expected to award a construction contract on September 9 for construction of a half mile extension to the trail system. The meandering trail will follow Stonegate Park, pass behind horse stables and alongside the Tully Road Ball Fields. At Tully Road, pedestrians and bicyclists well be welcomed to the trail by a stone gateway structure and seating wall. Construction will require about one year. Information about the Coyote Creek Trail system can be found at: http://www.sjparks.org/Trails/coyote/index.asp

Albertson Parkway

Bids were received in June 2008 and the City Council is expected to award a construction contract on September 9 for reconstruction and improvement of a 0.4 mile trail system. The short paved trail serves as a memorial to a community leader and leads trail users to the Santa Teresa County Park with its many trails and open space. Construction should take about 1 year and will include an improved trail, signage, striping, and extensive landscaping. Three interpretive signs will be installed along the route. Renderings of the project and information about the signs can be found at: http://www.sjparks.org/Trails/Albertson/AlbertsonParkway.asp

Trail Development Work

It is always exciting to report that a new trail has been constructed. But each new mile of trail requires master plans, permits, technical studies and hundreds of hours of hard work. Be sure to visit the Trail Program website at www.sjparks.org/trails for information on some major efforts currently underway to define new trails for future construction:

• Bay Trail 9B Pedestrian Bridge (Construction and environmental documents are being prepared)

• Lower Guadalupe River Trail – Gold St to I-880 (Construction and environmental documents are being prepared)

• Coyote Creek Trail – Hwy 237 to Story Road (Master Planning and environmental document to start in Winter 2008)

• Almaden Expressway Pedestrian Bridge – Guadalupe Creek Trail (Construction and environmental documents are being prepared.

The Annual Trail Program report provides an overview of all projects (large and small): http://www.sjparks.org/Trails/TrailsReports.asp

National Recreational Trail

In September, the City Council is expected to approve submission of an application for National Recreational Trail designation for the entire Trail Network. The designation is provided by the Federal Department of the Interior and would recognize that San Jose contributes to a national collection of trail systems. From a strategic perspective, such acknowledgment creates an opportunity for San Jose to pursue three new funding sources, secure national recognition and tap into technical resources available at the federal level. The City will also be distinguished among other agencies for its unique approach in developing an interconnected network of trail systems.

Trail Network Overview

Did you know that San Jose has 25 trail systems open to the public? Each trail system offers a unique experience, with some being quite short and within urban environments and others suitable for an afternoon journey through a beautiful river way landscape. Obtain and overview of the many systems by viewing the newly created document at: http://www.sjparks.org/Trails/documents/TrailNetworkOverview.pdf

Report submitted by Yves Zsutty.